Firebird Brothers Show Me Your Wheels!!

[redfire69]

So I'm still looking at switching to BREs for my 80 TTA. I did a little photoshop to see what it might look like with 18s. What do y'all think?



This is what it looks like now, forgive to 4X4 look..

[68Formula]

So I'm still looking at switching to BREs for my 80 TTA. I did a little photoshop to see what it might look like with 18s. What do y'all think?



This is what it looks like now, forgive to 4X4 look..

That will look sweet. Go with 255/45R18 front and 285/40R18 rear to fill up the wheel opening. Are BREs the maker for the Year One wheels?

[redfire69]

Are BREs the maker for the Year One wheels?

Hey AMCMIKE, BRE = Burt Reynolds Edition, I've heard that Bonspeed makes the rims exclusively for Year One.... Thanks - Ron

[O'Neall]

Go for it!!! I got the 17x9s and love them!!!!!!!!

[redfire69]

Go for it!!! I got the 17x9s and love them!!!!!!!!

Hey Jon,

Did you lower your car? Just wondering if mine will look too high. I'm considering the Hotchkis lowering springs because I really can't afford an air ride $etup.

Edit: Also wondering what tire size are you running?

Sorry about highjacking this thread...

Ron

[68Formula]

Hey Jon,

Did you lower your car? Just wondering if mine will look too high. I'm considering the Hotchkis lowering springs because I really can't afford an air ride $etup.

Sorry about highjacking this thread...

Ron

What size you have now? A taller tire will fill the gap a little more giving it a lower stance appearance while actually increasing ground clearance. I found the size I mentioned which are 27.1" tall fill the wheel well better fore and aft which look proporationally better on those cars IMHO.

[redfire69]

What size you have now? A taller tire will fill the gap a little more giving it a lower stance appearance while actually increasing ground clearance. I found the size I mentioned which are 27.1" tall fill the wheel well better fore and aft which look proporationally better on those cars IMHO.

Good point, I have BFG TAs 255/60/15s which are 26.8" high (10.2 wide). I was looking at BFG KDWs and the ones YO recommends are 275/40/18s which are 26.7" high (10.9 wide).

The ones you recommend come in at:
255/45/18 - 27" (10.1 wide)
285/40/18 - 27" (11.4 wide)

So I would gain a little height, but the problem is the 285/40/18 require at least a 9.5" inch wide rim, so for those tires I would have to go with 18X10s out back (at least looking at BFGs). Not sure if they will fit with a stock suspension? The shock mounts are pretty close right now with the stock turbo slotted rims.

I could go with 255/45/18s one all fours, not sure how that would look...

Ron

[Modmach1]

These are the cars two of my buddies have:

1968 Firebird with 19", LS1, 4L60 etc. This will get some new wheels and get lower.

76 Trans Am with TSW 19x8,5 and 20x10 with Yokohama 245/40-19 and 275/35-20

[71FormulaRA3]

Modmach1, do you know the back spacing of the wheels on that 76 TA? And do you know if there were any mods? Perfect fit!

[O'Neall]

Hey Jon,

Did you lower your car? Just wondering if mine will look too high. I'm considering the Hotchkis lowering springs because I really can't afford an air ride $etup.

Edit: Also wondering what tire size are you running?

Sorry about highjacking this thread...

Ron

Ron,

I have BFG g-Force T/A KDW 275/40ZR17s all around. They are 25.7" tall (stock tire height is 27.4")

My car isn't ready for the wheels/tires quite yet though... still in the middle of its restomod process. However, I do plan on lowering the car about 2" from stock which should make up for the shorter tire. I'm not a huge fan of lowering cars so much that tops of the tires are obscured by the wheel well lip. Here's a couple of pics some T/As with the the stance I'm hoping to achieve from an overall lowering perspective. The black car has significantly wider tires out back (315/35/17s) than I've got, but the overall lowered stance of both cars is quite good in my book IMO.

[68Formula]

Ron,
My car isn't ready for the wheels/tires quite yet though... still in the middle of its restomod process. However, I do plan on lowering the car about 2" from stock which should make up for the shorter tire. I'm not a huge fan of lowering cars so much that tops of the tires are obscured by the wheel well lip. Here's a couple of pics some T/As with the the stance I'm hoping to achieve from an overall lowering perspective. The black car has significantly wider tires out back (315/35/17s) than I've got, but the overall lowered stance of both cars is quite good in my book IMO.

Jon, before you make your final decision, look at dead-on side shot examples of both diameters as this affects not only the top gap, but the fore-aft. 2nd gens look more right to me with the larger, and 1st with the ones you're using, probably because they are closer to overall factory diameter (which is what the wells were sized for).

Plus, you can drop it 2", it will look more like a 2.5" drop (gap), and you only lose 1.5" of ground clearance.

[Modmach1]

Modmach1, do you know the back spacing of the wheels on that 76 TA? And do you know if there were any mods? Perfect fit!

No mods what so ever, we are going to install 2" inch drop spindles as well. the car is back from sanblasting and the front end is on powdercoating. The owner is fighting in Afganhistan right now and will be back in June/July.
I will find those backspacings for you!

[O'Neall]

2nd gens look more right to me with the larger, and 1st with the ones you're using

I'm sorry Mike... I'm sure I'm just dense, but I don't get what you're saying here. Could you elaborate? Thanks.

[68Formula]

I'm sorry Mike... I'm sure I'm just dense, but I don't get what you're saying here. Could you elaborate? Thanks.

First Gen Firebirds tire size is closer to 26" overall diameter. So the size you mentioned in 17s is close to factory. The 18s I recommend earlier in my post are are 27.1" which isclose to the stock 2nd Gen Firebirds.

Now, if you keep the smaller size, your lowering the car will reduce the gap between the top of the tire and the fender, but it will not correct the gap to the front and rear of the fender therefore making it look less proporationally correct.

Lets call stock height and 26" tires your baseline. If you increase the tire diameter from 26" by and inch, the radius increases half. Therfore you reduce the gap to the fender by .5" just by the size. At the same time the larger diameter raises the car by .5" from the ground. Lets say at this point you drop the car 2". That means compared to your baseline, the gap to the top of fender will decrease 2.5", but the ground clearance will only decrease by 1.5".

[70bird]

Heres what a 25" tire looks like on a 2nd gen (275/40-17)
This car is lowered only about 1" in the rear, and as you can see does not fill the wheelwell very well at all. I could lower it another inch or two but ground clearance will suffer. A 27" tire would be much better, and is what I plan to use. Mark

[SamHatco]

First Gen Firebirds tire size is closer to 26" overall diameter. So the size you mentioned in 17s is close to factory. The 18s I recommend earlier in my post are are 27.1" which isclose to the stock 2nd Gen Firebirds.

Now, if you keep the smaller size, your lowering the car will reduce the gap between the top of the tire and the fender, but it will not correct the gap to the front and rear of the fender therefore making it look less proporationally correct.

Lets call stock height and 26" tires your baseline. If you increase the tire diameter from 26" by and inch, the radius increases half. Therfore you reduce the gap to the fender by .5" just by the size. At the same time the larger diameter raises the car by .5" from the ground. Lets say at this point you drop the car 2". That means compared to your baseline, the gap to the top of fender will decrease 2.5", but the ground clearance will only decrease by 1.5".

Well said,

Sam

[O'Neall]

Mike... okay, thanks, got it! Sorry to make you have to go thru all that, but I appeciate it.

It'a all a matter of personal preference of course, but I've always thought that 18s on gen2 cars look proportionally incorrect... just too much wheel. On the other hand, I've always liked the look of of 17s with 275/40s. They just look "right" to me. Different strokes....

[68Formula]

Your welcome. My carpal tunnel is acting up now, so I'll leave you with one last thought.

Remember everything is about proportions. So consider this: It could be that the rim looks too tall because some people use the reduce the diameter to go with the larger rim. So one guy uses a 275/40R17 and another a 275/35R18. Both are the same height, but one has less sidewall making the rim even more noticeably bigger. Now comparing a 275/40R17 to a 285/40R18 the ratio of tire diameter to wheel diameter is 1.50 vs. 1.51 or nearly the same. This may not be what you are seeing in your case, but I bring this up as an option and for others to consider.

Sometimes the eyes deceive us.

SamHatco, thanks for the props!

[71FormulaRA3]

Thanks Modmach1 I appreciate the info! I look forward to getting the backspacings from you.

[cdoggy81]

I don't know O'Neall, these 18's look good to me